August 11: "Doldrums"
For reasons that remain a mystery, we were far from strong today. In spite
of an early rise (4:10 AM) and getting ready in record time, our average was
on par with of our morale: not very high. Interminable small hills and drizzle
alternating with the good weather obliging us to stop all too often to don
or remove our rain gear, much slowed us down. Exhaustion gradually settled
in, inciting us to give up our initial goal, Egilsstadir (with it's cycle
store): much to Anne's regret since she maintained an unquestionable determination
to achieve our aim, partly motivated by the fear of missing our plane. (A
check on the map later in the evening indicated that we had well exceeded
the mid-point of our trip: 685 km until Reykjavik, 779 km already behind us
in only 11 days with our plane taking off in 17.) At noon we therefore fell
back on Reydarfjördur reaching it's small campsite at the edge of a VERY
busy road with a car passing by every 30 seconds. From where they came and
to where they went was the second mystery of the day since on the n° 1
road on which we had been riding since Reykjavik, a car passed us only every
5 or 10 minutes or every half hour early in the morning. In spite of our fatigue,
we succeeded in pitching our tent, then went shopping by bicycle without luggage.
First a couple hot dogs and 5 free coffees for two in the nearby gas station
then off to the swimming pool. This one was at the top of a small hillock
which we had a devil of a time getting up and without the motivation of the
jacuzzi, I think that we would have made a U-turn, made all the more easy
by the absence of our BOB trailor. The swimming pool had as much staff as
customers: 3 at the beginning then only Anne and I. The life guard even proposed
us bubbles to go with our jacuzzi soak. A delicious and completely vital hydromassage
since tomorrow we plan on continuing!
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Funny hay
bails
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Camping
at Reydarfjördur
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